A catch up!

Sit down, grab a cuppa and lets have a good old catch up!

Things at the little old cottage are MOVING!  We are up to painting the second lounge and master bedroom.  The tiles for the ensuite are on order and by this time next weekend we should be in.  Though the ensuite will not be done which is totally fine.  We have a slow combustion wood fire to heat that part of the house ready to go in just in time for winter.  Next week I shall have some finished room photos to share!  Though I’m keeping it as a blank canvass as we will literally be putting it straight on the market the second it is done.

Next house I keep telling myself.  Next house I can mark it with OUR stamp.

Henry has had a birthday, he is now FIVE!  Can you believe it?  Such a sweet cheerful little fella.  Angus and Will are also going great guns.  There has been an interesting dynamic shift between them all.  Will is transitioning to “tweens” and Angus and Henry are gravitating towards each other and have become great little buddies.  I love listening to them play and create their own little stories togeather.

I was worried when Grant finished up at the shop that with him being home full time that I would find it would challenging.  But I needn’t have worried.  I love having him about and a real sense of peace and contentment has settled upon the home.  We are no longer tired, hurried and stressed.  The boys are more relaxed, and I’m loving having my best mate about to chat with throughout the day and share the little things with him.

(Can you guess Henry's fave lolly?!  Chosen from the original Women's Weekly cook book.)

(Henry with his main birthday pressies from us.  His favourite book the Velveteen Rabbit with his very own Velveteen Rabbit handmade from beautiful mohair from Etsy.)

Farm planning is in full swing.  Researching areas, schools, climates and districts is our latest hobby.

 We have a few bookmarked.

Planning the logistics has been an interesting process.  We have decided that buying a block with no house and then getting a kit home and Grant getting his owner builder liscence through the company is going to get us the best value for money.  The budget will be TIGHT.  We will likely be totally off grid with generator backup for when solar isn't enough..

The biggest challenge is working out where to live while we build.  We want to be together as we are a family that is happier togeather.  Both Grant and I hate the idea of renting and the week to week pressure of coming up with a sum of money, whilst trying to build a house with nothing to show at the end of it.  So after a little pondering and comparing pros and cons of a bunch of possibilities we are going to sell the old Franklin van and buy a big coach and convert it.  Then when we get to the farm build a farm shed and line out a bay as a lounge so the kids can spread out in bad weather.  Then we will have a fantastic bus to travel and holiday in at the end of it all, and we will be able to stay togeather on the farm.  The joy of a bus is that we can pick it and “move” into it before we leave.  Meaning that in theory the final move should be a little less stressful.  Beds will be made, Clothes will be organised, we will have a fully functioning kitchen....A little haven of order amongst what will otherwise be a huge life change.

(little puss pretending she is prowling in the jungle) 

This plan will also allow Grant to work nearly full time on the house build, and ensure any cash we bring in through his bugs/etc can go towards the build and the trades we will need to help like electricians etc.  The bus will be off grid.  A dollar saved is better then a dollar earnt and all of that.  Grant is in the process of getting his articulated, heavy truck liscence and we are hoping this will allow him to pick up a little casual work carting stock or whatever once we move.  That with his business management/shop hand skills and agricultural experience gives him a broad foundation of work avenues to follow should he need it, which we know he will.  I should qualify for a little study allowance next year with my theological studies which will also help.

(Aggie freshly groomed)

So it sounds crazy, and huge, but to us....It’s the natural next step.  The thing we have been working to our whole married life togeather.  I will not however NOT be building a tiny home.  I have done the living in a small space with a family of 5.  All of us sharing a bedroom for months on end.  It is not for us long term, whilst I appreciate the benefits and celebrate those for whom it suits, and I'm more then willing to live on a converted bus for a season.  Our next home It will be a spacious home in which each person will be able to have their little piece of privacy.  Where family and friends can come and stay and a place where the boys will have room to progress through their teenage years togeather.  It will be a farm house, with a big mud room!  I dream of a spacious kitchen and lots of space for food preparation and cooking.  There will be places for hobbies to be explored and developed, Scottish Terrier puppies to be born and raised and no doubt our own share of sick and abandoned baby farm animals that will need to be cared for.

Well I feel I have chewed your ear off!  I best toddle and get on with feeding these boys of mine.

Much Love,
Emma

xx

Before, during and after; Lounge renos!

I thought it would be fun to do a snap shot of our lounge before, during and after.  It still needs its skirting boards, my photo wall hung and a few finishing touches, but it is certainly getting there.

To remind those who are new to this blog, this is what it was like when we bought it....

The boys chiping back the old, salt damp damaged plaster  which they treated later.

Applying the brown coat.

The fire place needs its tiles grouted, and blackened, and the flue repairing.  We keeping an eye out for second hand/salvage parts on our gumtree trawling.

My beautiful painting "two hands" by my artist friend Elizabeth Close takes pride of place above the fire!

That blank wall is screaming out for all my family photos.  

The ceilings are huge in this place - I need to add a panel to the of the curtains so the sheer is the right length.  We tend to put a simple roller blind behind and hang a simple white sheer in front.  I like the light and airy effect it gives, and it has the advantage of making the most of the whole window, allowing in maximum light which can be lacking in old homes.  It's also a frugal option, so a winner all round.  

The blind was about $45, the sheer was $30 and we already had the pole to hang it.  I will lengthen the white sheer with contrasting material from my stash.  We were advised by Williams Dr to keep all window furnishings as simple as possible to minimise dust for his allergies.  This way the blind can easily be wiped down and the sheer is cotton and machine washable, unlike traditional rubber backed curtains. Which if anyone has ever tried to wash them, you know what I'm talking about! 

To get this room stripped back, salt damp treated, walls re-plastered, painted and floor laid by trades would have cost many thousands, but by doing it ourselves we managed to keep the cost down to approx $1000.  This figure doesn't include the split system air conditioning that will be installed once we upgrade the power as its not in yet.  We have budgeted about $1800 for that.  We will buy it in winter and try to find a good special.  Well worth the time and effort.  

We are going to spend some time in our garden now, fixing sheds, the chook yard and the fences, and we have a bunch of new heratige chooks, and a friendly rooster on their way from friends that are moving interstate at the end of the week! 

So our current rooster will be dispatched for stock this week.  

It's lovely to take a break from the dust and the grit of renovating for a few weeks and trade it for the mud, dirt and straw of the garden! Ha! 

Much love, 

Emma 

Xx